


Mine For the Summer

by habit_of_tpwk



Category: Larry Stylinson - Fandom, Louie - Fandom, One Direction, harrie - Fandom, larrie - Fandom
Genre: 1d, Boyfriends, Eleanor Calder - Freeform, English Countryside, Fanfiction, Gay, LGBTQ, Larry fanfic, M/M, Summer Love, Summer Romance, Tension, Vacation, highschool, larry - Freeform, larry stylinson - Freeform, one direction - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:42:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25190326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/habit_of_tpwk/pseuds/habit_of_tpwk
Summary: "you were mine for the summernow we know it's nearly over"Louis spends the summer at his grandmother's house in the countryside and meets a boy named Harry. As the two spend the hot summer days together, they discover beautiful things about themselves.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter soundtrack:
> 
> Summer Love- One Direction

Louis opened his eyes to the beautiful view of the English countryside as the car made its way down the road. He looked over to his mom in the driver's seat of the car. 

"Ah you're finally awake," she said, keeping her eyes on the road. 

"How long was I asleep?" Louis asked, rubbing his eyes a bit. 

"Well, considering we're almost at Nan's house, I'd say quite a while." 

Louis looked out the window of the car at the sunlight glistening off the lake that sat behind the few houses on Nan's street. Louis hadn't spent the summer here since he was a little boy. He always loved the feeling of letting go of everything and coming to the country where he could lay in the grass, swim in the lake, drink lemonade with Nan, or sit on the back porch at night and watch the lightning bugs. 

Before he knew it, they pulled into the driveway of the white, old-fashioned house. He could see Nan peeking out through the screen door of the house with a huge smile on her face. Louis' mom parked the car and got out to bring her mother into a strong embrace. Louis grinned at the sight and got out, himself. He approached his grandmother with open arms and they hugged for what felt like minutes. 

"Oh, Louis you look so grown and handsome!" said Nan, reaching her hands up to touch his face. 

Louis chuckled and took the time to really look at her. Her straw sunhat covered most of her short, white curls. Her smile made her nose scrunch up and her eyes crinkle. Her face was wrinkled, but still youthful. She let go of Louis' face and clapped her hands together. 

"Let's get your bags inside!"

Each of them took one of Louis' bags and made their way inside the house. Louis look around the room: it was just how he remembered it as a child. The brick fireplace, the comfy couch, and the rocking chair he would always sit in when he was younger. Back then it seemed so big to him, like he was a king sitting in his grand throne. 

They continued through the kitchen to the second floor of the house. The only rooms up there were the guest room and a bathroom. Nan's bedroom was downstairs. They each tossed a bag onto the bed and sighed. Nan walked over to the closet and got something out, hiding it behind her back.

"Guess what I found yesterday, Lou?"

"What is it?"

"Your old bear!" She held the brown stuffed bear out for Louis to see. He took it and examined it, remembering all the memories from his childhood. His fingers trailed along its fuzzy ears and buttons on the plaid shirt the it wore. 

"Wow, I haven't seen him in ages," Louis said, smiling down at the bear. 

"Why don't we all have lunch?" Nan suggested.

_

Lunch consisted of talking, laughing, reminiscing about the last times Louis spent the summer there when he was little. A few hours passed before Louis' mom decided it was time for her to hit the road again and head home. 

Louis and Nan each gave their goodbye hugs and kisses and waved to Louis' mom as she left. Nan wrapped her arm around Louis' waist and looked up at him. He looked down at her and smiled. He felt like a little boy again with her. 

They went back inside and sat in the living room. Louis took a seat on the couch and Nan took her place in her rocking chair. They talked about school, friends, universities Louis wanted to go to. Nan nodded her head and agreed with everything Louis said. That was something he always loved about her, she continued to support him no matter what. 

Louis suddenly felt a buzz in his pocket. He got his phone out to see a text. 

Eleanor  
"Hey did you get there ok?"

Louis texted back, his fingers flying across the keyboard so he could go back to talking with Nan. 

"Who was that?" she asked.

"Oh, that was my girlfriend. She just wanted to know if I got here okay."

"You have a girlfriend? What's her name?" Nan asked, surprised. 

"Eleanor," Louis answered, wanting to avoid the topic of his girlfriend. 

"Do you have any pictures of her?" 

Louis sighed quietly. He got his phone out and showed Nan a picture of him and Eleanor together on Valentine's Day. Nan squinted and smiled once her eyes focused on the picture. 

"Oh she's beautiful, Louis!" 

Louis grinned and put his phone back in his pocket. Him and Eleanor have been dating for almost two years, but they've known each other pretty much their whole lives. They've been a part of the same group of friends since they were little, but they only started dating once they got into high school. 

Nan looked out the window and back at Louis. 

"Well the sun is starting to go down, you can go ahead and go upstairs to unpack your bags and I can make us dinner." 

"Sounds good," Louis said, getting up off the couch and heading upstairs. "Let me know if you need anything," he said. 

"Will do," Nan answered. 

Louis opened his bags and put his clothes in the drawers of the dresser. Nan mainly used the closet for storage, so there wasn't much room to put his clothes in there. He took his toiletries to the bathroom and decided to take a shower while he was at it. 

When he was done with his shower, he changed into some comfortable clothes and sat on the bed. He looked out the window at the lake. As the sun set, the water turned a bright orange and sparkled. It calmed Louis to see a sight like that. 

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and saw a boy walking around the lake. The boy sat at the edge of the dock and leaned back on his hands, watching the water. Louis took a closer look at the boy. They looked to be around the same age. He had long, pushed back hair that fell just past his ears. Louis thought only older people who retired lived where Nan lived. 

Louis got up from the bed and made his way downstairs. He could begin to smell dinner being cooked. 

"Dinner smells good, what is it?" Louis asked Nan.

"I'm making some chicken alfredo with vegetables," Nan answered, obviously feeling proud of herself. 

Louis nodded and sat at the kitchen table, looking at his grandmother. "I saw a pretty young kid outside. I thought only retired people lived here," Louis said. 

"A young kid? Was he about your age?" Nan asked.

"Yeah he had brown, kinda long hair."

"Oh that's Harry. He lives here with his mum. A few families live here, you know."

Nan stopped stirring the noodles and turned the oven off. "Dinner's ready!" She put some noddles and vegetables onto a plate and handed it to Louis. He thanked her and they started eating. They made a little conversation during their meal, but most of it was spent shoving food into their mouths. Louis missed his grandmother's home cooking. Even if he didn't eat a lot of it, it still filled his belly up. 

Louis put his fork down as he ate the last of his food and thanked Nan once again. The two spent the rest of the evening watching some TV until they both grew tired and decided to go to bed. 

Louis said goodnight to Nan and went upstairs. He stripped to his underwear, as he usually does when he sleeps, and climbed into bed. He took one last look out the window. He could see a silhouette against the darkness. It was the same boy from earlier, he was still sitting at the edge of the dock. Weird, Louis thought before closing his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter soundtrack: 
> 
> Strawberries & Cigarettes- Troye Sivan

The blinding sun peeking in through the curtains woke Louis. He shifted in the bed, trying to avoid the beams of sunlight, but eventually gave up. He sat up on his elbow and reached for his phone on the bedside table. 9:15... He decided to text Eleanor, even if she wasn't awake yet. 

Louis  
Good morning love <3

Louis jumped out from under the covers and made the bed neatly. He normally didn't do that, but considering he was in someone else's home he figured it was the nice thing to do. He went to the old wooden dresser and picked out an outfit to wear. A t-shirt and jeans should do just fine, he thought. After getting dressed he went downstairs to see what Nan was up to. 

Nan stood at the stove making breakfast for her and Louis. Louis gave her a kiss on the cheek and walked to the fridge to pour himself a glass of orange juice. 

"Whatcha making?" he asked. 

"I'm making some eggs with sausage and toast," Nan said, taking two pieces of toast out of the toaster.

"So what do we have planned today?" Louis asked. 

"I was thinking about doing some stuff in the garden and maybe sitting by the lake later. Does that sound good?"

"Sounds great," Louis answered back, smiling. Even though it might not be something other teenage boys liked doing, he loved helping Nan out in the garden. Suddenly the doorbell rang, making the two jump a little. 

"Would you mind getting that for me, Lou?" Nan asked, focused on making breakfast. 

Louis nodded and walked over to the front door. He opened it to see a tall boy standing there. It was the boy from last night, except now Louis could see his face clearly. He had bright green eyes, tan skin, and pink lips. And of course his long hair Louis knew well. 

"Um, hi," Louis said, hoping he wasn't staring for too long. 

"Hi, are you Louis?" the boy asked, smiling.

Louis nodded a yes.

"I'm Harry, your Nan told me you'd be staying here for a bit," he said, reaching his hand out for Louis to shake. Louis shook his hand and smiled. "Is she here? My mum wanted me to drop this off to her," Harry said. 

Louis looked down and noticed a small pocket book in his hand. "Yeah, come on in," he said, stepping aside. 

Louis led Harry into the kitchen where Nan was. She looked up at Harry and smiled. "Good morning! What are you doing here this early?" 

"Well my mum wanted me to drop these recipes off to you," Harry said, handing Nan the pocket book. 

"Oh, tell her I said 'thank you'! And before you leave take this with you." Nan walked to the fridge and handed Harry a jar. "It's the homemade jam I promised her. Make sure she knows I taped the recipe to the bottom." 

"I will, thanks," Harry said, giving Nan a peck on the cheek. He waved to Louis before leaving. Louis felt a bit jealous at how close they seemed to be. He could tell Harry has been the replacement for Louis all these years. He couldn't blame Nan for wanting to fill the empty place in her heart, it can get lonely when you live by yourself. 

_

After breakfast, Louis and Nan went out to the backyard where the small garden was. Nan had some tomatoes growing that were ready to be picked, so they did that and washed them off inside. Then they planted what would eventually grow peppers. 

Louis and Nan sat in the garden talking for a bit, laughing with each other. Louis noticed the sunlight had suddenly disappeared from his eyes and looked up to see Harry towering above him, only wearing a pair of short swim trunks. 

"Are you going for a swim, Harry? It's a lovely day for it," Nan asked. 

"Yup. I was actually gonna ask Louis if he wanted to come with. The boys are gonna be there too."

"Oh, that sounds fun! You should go, Lou," Nan said, smiling from ear to ear. 

Louis really didn't want to go with Harry. He wanted to stay with Nan, but he didn't want to be rude. "Um, yeah. I'll go get some trunks on," he said, standing up and dusting the dirt off his jeans. 

"I'll meet you at the dock," Harry said, walking off. Louis nodded and headed upstairs. He opened the drawer he designated for socks, underwear, and his swim trunks. He changed into his trunks and went back downstairs. 

Harry sat at the dock, feet hanging over the edge. Louis walked over and took a seat next to him, giving him a smile. 

"So who else is coming?" Louis asked, remembering something Harry said about 'the boys'. 

"Oh yeah. A few friends of mine. They're the only people our age in the neighborhood."

"Oh. Do you guys go to the same school?"

"Nah, they do. I'm actually homeschooled."

"Really? I didn't think you were homeschooled, you don't seem like it. I mean not that being homeschooled is a bad thing, it's just-"

Harry burst out into laughter, meanwhile Louis felt his cheeks getting red. "Don't worry, I know what you mean." 

"Vas happenin', boys!"

Louis and Harry turned around to see three boys walking towards the dock. They got up and walked over to the boys. Harry fist-bumped each of them and put his hand out towards Louis. 

"Guys, this is Louis. He's staying here this summer with his Nan."

"What's up, Louis? I'm Niall," said the small, blonde one. 

"I'm Zayn," said the quite handsome boy with the black hair.

"And I'm Liam," said the pretty fit boy with brown hair, giving Louis a friendly wave. Louis waved back and smiled. 

"So where are you from, Louis?" Niall asked.

"Uh, Doncaster."

"Wow you're a ways away from home, aren't ya?" Zayn said.

"Yup, I haven't been here since I was little."

"You're gonna have the best summer ever here," Liam said. 

"Well I'm getting hotter and hotter the more we stand here, so what do you say we cool down a bit?" Harry said. He stood there for a second before clapping his hands and shouting "Go!" making everyone jump off the dock into the lake. Louis stood there, confused. Was he supposed to jump in too? 

The boys reached the surface of the water, gasping for air. "Jump in, Louis!" Harry said, pushing his hair out of his face. Louis knew if he was gonna get along with these boys, he had to match their energy, so he held his breath and jumped into the lake. He came up for air to the sound of everyone clapping and cheering. 

The boys spent the rest of the afternoon swimming, playing water games, and getting to know each other. They talked about school and random stuff like music and movies. As the sun was about to start to go down, Nan came out of the house with a tray of glasses of lemonade. The boys each took a glass and sat on the dock. 

"So Louis, you got a girlfriend?" Niall asked, sipping on his lemonade. 

"Um, yeah," Louis answered back, nodding. 

"She cute?" 

Louis couldn't help but chuckle at the question. 

Liam put his hand up. "You'll have to excuse Niall, he doesn't have a girlfriend so he's a bit weird."

"You don't have one either!" Niall shouted back. 

"Yeah, but I'm not desperate!"

All the boys laughed at Liam's comeback. 

"Zayn, are you still dating that one girl from school?" Liam asked. 

"Yup, still goin' strong," Zayn joked. 

Louis looked over to Harry, as he was just observing the conversation. Harry noticed and understood Louis was probably thinking "what about you?".

"I'm single as ever," Harry said, laughing a bit. "No girlfriend." 

"Yeah, we don't think Harry's down for having a girlfriend," Zayn said, grinning before taking a sip of his drink. Niall and Liam stifled their laughter and looked down. 

Louis was confused. Was this some joke between them all? "What's that mean?" he asked. 

"Don't worry about it, they're being stupid," Harry said quickly. He looked annoyed but also a little amused, like he wanted to laugh too. 

_

The boys kept hanging out until it got dark. At around 9:00 they all left and went back to their houses. Louis stepped back into the house through the back door, surprised to see Nan awake on the couch reading a book. 

"You're still awake?" Louis asked. 

"Oh yeah, I just wanted to make sure you got back in safe," Nan said, putting her book down. 

"Oh you didn't have to do that."

"It's no biggie," Nan yawned. "I better head to bed. Did you have fun with Harry and his friends?" 

"Yeah. I honestly didn't think I would, but they're all really cool." 

"I'm happy to hear that." Nan gave Louis a kiss on the cheek before going to her room. "Goodnight," she said from down the hallway. 

"Goodnight, Nan." 

Louis went upstairs and changed out of his swim trunks, ready to go to bed. He noticed his phone on the bedside table and opened it to see a missed call from Eleanor. He contemplated whether to call her back or not. Since he could barely keep his eyes open, he decided to just go to bed. I can call her back tomorrow...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter soundtrack: 
> 
> Futile Devices (Doveman Remix)- Sufjan Stevens

Louis and Nan spent all morning working in the garden and snacking on the mini pancakes Nan made for breakfast. Louis realized he had been there for almost a week and he'd only called Eleanor a couple times. He excused himself and went inside to the living room.

The phone rang three times before he heard the familiar soft voice on the other end:

"Hello?"

"Hey, sorry I haven't called you in a bit. I've just been with my Nan all morning."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Are you having a good time?"

"Yeah, it's been great. Starting to get a pretty good tan."

Eleanor laughed. 

"Well I can't wait to see you when you get back."

"Me too."

"Go spend some time with your Nan. Love you, miss you!"

"Miss you too, bye bye.”

Louis hung up and put his phone back in the pocket of his shorts. He walked outside to see Nan and Harry talking in the garden. Out of the few days Louis had been there, Harry took him all around the neighborhood, showed him his favorite spots, and of course introduced him to Niall, Zayn, and Liam. Pretty much everyday the five of them would meet at the lake and swim until it was so dark out they could barely see each other with just the light from the moon and stars. 

Harry looked behind Nan at Louis and waved. Louis waved back and stepped off the back porch. 

"I came to see if you wanted to go see another one of my spots," Harry said, smiling. Louis smiled and nodded. He admired how adventurous Harry was. He seemed to have explored all of the countryside. Louis also admired how free and careless Harry was. Harry went everywhere dressed like he was ready to go for a swim. He practically lived in his short swim trunks and slip-on shoes. And when he did wear a shirt, it was a flowy button-up with only about two buttons actually secured at the base of the shirt, keeping at least his nipples covered. 

Louis gave Nan a kiss on the cheek before following Harry to wherever they were off to next. 

"Where are we going?"

"First we have to stop by my house. The spot is a bit far, so I figured we could we could bike there." 

The two got to Harry's house which wasn't far from Nan's. It looked a lot like Nan's: old-fashioned, nice lawn, lake right in the backyard basically. The inside, however, was obviously remodeled to look more modern. It made sense since Harry's mum was a lot younger than Nan. 

Harry's mum sat in the living room reading a book when the two walked in. She smiled up at the boys and closed her book. 

"You must be Louis! Harry's been talking about you for the past week, I've been telling him to bring you to the house!" Louis looked at Harry and chuckled. He could tell Harry wanted to oppose the fact he'd been talking about him. 

Harry's mum stood up and walked over to Louis, reaching her arms out for a hug. "I'm Anne, it's so nice to meet you." 

"It's nice to meet you too," Louis said, hugging her back. 

"Well are you two gonna hang out here today?" 

"We were just stopping to get the bikes. I'm gonna show Louis one of my spots."

"Oh, that sounds fun! The bikes are in the back. Call me if you need anything." 

"I will."

They went out to the back of the house where two bikes were propped up against the fence. 

"Your mum is quite... energetic," Louis said, laughing a bit. 

Harry scoffed. "Tell me about it."

They each hopped onto a bike and made their way to the road. Louis let Harry take the lead since he was the only one who knew where to go. As they headed towards the secret spot, Louis realized how quiet it was. Harry didn't talk much unless he was spoken to. He was outgoing and friendly- just quiet. When they'd hang out with Niall, Liam, and Zayn, Harry would usually just sit and admire everyone else getting on and chatting. If somebody asked him a question or something, he'd be caught off-guard like he didn't realize the other boys knew he was there too. Louis decided to say something. 

"How come you don't talk that much?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, keeping his eyes ahead of him. 

"Well I've just noticed you don't butt into conversations a lot. Like Niall- Niall really likes to talk." 

"He sure does. I don't really know why I'm quiet. Sometimes when I'm with other people I feel like I'm watching a movie or something. Like I'm not really there, you know? I just like to watch and listen."

"You're one of those people, are you? You guys are the most dangerous 'cause you know everyone's secrets," Louis said, chuckling a bit. 

"I wouldn't worry. I don't have a lot of friends to know secrets about." 

Louis looked at Harry. He still hadn't looked away from the road. Louis focused his eyes back on the road as they pedaled together. 

_

After about 20 minutes biking down roads and through trails, they finally made it to the spot. Harry led Louis off the trail through dense trees until they got to a cleared space in the middle of the woods. The grass was a bright green- same as the leaves on the trees. There were a couple lawn chairs in the middle of the spot along with wood for a fire. 

"This place is pretty neat."

"Yeah I used to come here with my sister." 

"I didn't know you have a sister."

Harry nodded. "Gemma. She left for university a couple years ago. We'd always hang out here when we were younger. Now she doesn't really get to come home 'cause she's so busy." 

Harry took a seat in one of the chairs, so Louis took that as a signal for him to sit down too. 

"Isn't it crazy how some of the best memories you have are from when you're little?" Harry asked. "Then life goes on and everything changes. Do you ever feel like you want to go back in time so you can get a high off of the nostalgia?" 

"Yeah," Louis said, beginning to think. "When I was younger and I'd come visit my Nan it was mostly because my parents fought all the time. My mum felt bad for me, so she'd send me here to help me get away. But the last night before I'd have to leave, I'd cry because I didn't want to go back home. I would crawl into bed with my Nan and I'd be able to sleep."

Louis looked up at Harry, wondering if he had said too much. Harry was looking at him with sympathetic eyes. 

"How are your parents now?"

"My dad left not too long after that. It was for the best." 

Harry nodded.

Silence ensued. 

Louis leaned back and watched the clouds move slowly along the blue backdrop that is the sky. Eventually he closed his eyes, letting his skin soak up the sun. 

Something didn't feel right, though. Louis felt a strange feeling overwhelm him- the feeling you'd get when a pair of eyes are on you. The type of feeling you'd automatically react to. 

So Louis opened his eyes to find Harry jerking his head away from the boy's direction. He got up and waltzed over to to a tree. Louis focused his vision on to the tree and realized there was a box of some sort nailed into the trunk. Harry got something out of the box and started walking back towards his chair. 

Louis parted his lips to ask what it was, but was cut off by a loud ringing noise coming from his pocket. The caller ID read "Eleanor". For a moment Louis' thumb hovered back and forth between the answer and decline buttons. He knew he'd be able to call her back later, so his thumb landed on the decline button and his phone went back into his pocket. 

"You're not gonna take that?" Harry asked. 

"Nah. It's not important."

"Was it your mum? You shouldn't decline your mum."

Louis chuckled. "No, it was erm.. my girlfriend. I can call her back later. Anyways, what do you have there?"

Harry's eyebrows perked. "Oh it's just an old necklace I forgot was in there. I hid it a while back the last time I came here with Gemma." 

Louis reaches his hand out to examine the necklace. "A butterfly?" he asked, touching the charm. 

"I've always admired them. They're one of the most peaceful animals on earth, but they're taken for granted. They're beautiful so people want to reach out to touch them, but they don't realize how fragile their wings are. Technically butterflies don't feel pain, but I find that hard to believe. Every living thing must feel pain, don't you think?" 

Louis nodded. "I can't imagine being numb to everything." 

Harry grinned at the necklace before slipping it around his own neck. 

"We should probably head back home. I told the boys we'd all meet by the lake."

"Sounds good."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter soundtrack: 
> 
> Buzzcut Season- Lorde

“Well, well, well look who finally decided to show up!” Niall said, sitting in the lake, letting the water rise to his neck. 

“Where were you guys?” Liam asked. 

“I was just showing Louis a cool spot,” Harry answered back, slipping off his shoes and unbuttoning his shirt. 

Louis realized he had jean shorts on and he hated the way jean shorts stuck to his legs when he swam. 

“I’m gonna go put on some trunks, I’ll be right back,” he said, heading to Nan’s house just a few yards from the lake. 

“Hurry back, Tommo!” Niall yelled.

Louis looked back and grinned. He opened the back door of Nan’s house and found her in the kitchen washing fresh vegetables from the garden. 

“Have you been in the garden all day, Nan? You’re gonna get sunburnt.”

“Nonsense. That’s what my stylish hats are for!”

Louis laughed and kissed Nan on the cheek. 

“I’m going to put my trunks on and head out to the lake.” 

“Alright have fun.”

Louis sprinted up the stairs and changed into his plain black swim trunks. He contemplated calling Eleanor back, but he really just wanted to cool off in the water, so he set his phone on the dresser and made his way back to the lake. 

While walking towards the dock, Louis could hear the chatter of the other boys. 

“Come on Harry, you gotta cool it with him.”

“What’re you going on about?” Harry looked frustrated, but Louis didn’t know why. 

“You don’t know if he’s actually... you know....” Zayn said, amused.

“Alright lads, leave him alone. I’m sure that’s not what he’s up to,” Liam butted in.

Harry shrugged, his freckled shoulders peeking up from the surface of the water. “I’m just being friendly, that’s all.” 

Louis stepped on to the dock, making his presence known. All eyes darted to him. He looked down at himself, thinking something was wrong. 

“What?” he simply asked. 

The boys looked around at each other.

“Erm.. nothing, jump in!” Liam said, smiling. 

Louis brushed it off and jumped in the lake, kicking off the evening. Everyone stopped acting strange and went about splashing each other, making jokes, listening to music. 

“Louis get on my shoulders!” Zayn shouted. 

Louis hopped on to Zayn’s shoulders and noticed Niall atop Liam’s. The two wrestled, accidentally kicking up water into Zayn and Liam’s faces, until they fell in the lake with a large splash. Louis rose to the surface, pushing back his hair from his eyes. He noticed Harry leaning against at the dock, watching and laughing to himself. He wanted the curly headed boy to be part of the fun. 

“Harry come get on my shoulders and wrestle!” Louis said, grabbing Harry’s wrist. 

“W-wrestle who?” he asked, letting Louis guide him to the middle of the lake. 

“Wrestle Liam!” Niall suggested. 

“Ohh,” Zayn said. “Watch out, Styles, Liam’s a pro at this.” 

Liam laughed and held his arms up, flexing his biceps. “What can I say? Look at these guns.” 

Harry scoffed and hopped on to Louis’ shoulders. “Alright, let’s see what your guns have to say after I kick your ass!”

Liam got on Zayn’s shoulders and began grabbing at Harry. Niall laughed in the background and cheered on both boys. One second it was “c’mon Harry, you got this!” and the next second it was “let’s go Liam, finish him!” 

After what felt like a few minutes, the two boys fell into the water, finishing the match. They came up for air smiling, each looking around to see if the other was still on a pair of shoulders. 

“Did I win??” Harry asked, eagerly. 

“Hate to break it to you, but I think I won,” Liam said, grinning. 

“Are you sure? ‘Cause I think I heard you hit the water first.”

“Well you heard wrong.” 

Louis looked over at Zayn and Niall as Harry and Liam began arguing like toddlers. The three laughed before Louis broke up the squabble. 

“Lads, let’s call it an even tie and get on with our lives! Now shake hands and make up.”

Harry and Liam glared at each other but shook hands, knowing they couldn’t stay mad. 

“Anyways, I’m starving. I just realized we missed dinner,” Niall pointed out. The boys were too busy messing around to think about food. Now that they were reminded of how hungry they were, it was all they could think of. 

“We could go see what my mum’s got in the kitchen,” Harry suggested. 

The four agreed that would be good and dried off on the dock before racing to Harry’s house. Harry’s mum was sat on the couch with Nan having tea.

“Oh, hi Nan,” Louis said, smiling. “What’re you doing here?”

“Just chatting with Anne. You’re done swimming already?”

“We’re just coming in for some food.”

“Do you want me to make you all something?” Anne asked. 

“We’re just gonna grab something quick,” Harry said. 

Anne grinned and leaned towards Nan. “Watch closely. This is why I have to keep snacks around at all times.” 

The boys didn’t pay attention to the two ladies in the living room. They raided the cupboards and fridge for snacks and drinks. They took chips, candies, fruits, juices, anything that looked appealing. Considering how hungry they were, the whole kitchen looked appealing. 

Nan watched in horror. “They’re like animals!” she said, laughing. 

“That’s teenage boys for you,” Anne chuckled before taking a sip of tea. 

_

The boys laid sprawled out on the dock surrounded by candy wrappers and chip bags. They’d spent the last hour and a half snacking on the smorgasbord of junk food and now they were beginning to regret it. 

“Ugh.. I feel like I’m about to pop,” Liam groaned. 

“I feel like I’ve gained twenty pounds,” Zayn said, holding his stomach. 

The sound of crunching could be heard coming from Niall’s direction. 

“Niall, how can you still be eating?? Don’t you feel like you’re gonna throw up?” Louis asked, sitting up on his elbow. 

“No way! I was just getting started an hour and a half ago!”

“Is eating copious amounts of food one of your leprechaun super powers?”

Niall glared at Louis while the other boys laughed. Harry elbowed Louis and whispered “good one”. 

The five sat on the dock for the rest of the night talking until they got tired and each went home. Louis went home to a sleeping Nan so he went straight to his room and put on a warm pair of pajamas to lounge in. He looked at his phone to see a text from Eleanor sent thirty minutes ago. 

Eleanor  
I’m going to sleep, call me soon!  
Goodnight x

Louis knew she wouldn’t see it until morning, but decided to text her goodnight anyway. He scrolled through his social media before stripping down to his underwear and passing out under the covers. He smiled, recalling the fun moments from today. He was glad he’d made good friends with Harry, Niall, Liam, and Zayn.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter soundtrack:  
> Dreams- The Cranberries

"You're sure you don't want me to go with you?" 

"I'm sure, Lou. I appreciate you worrying about me, but I don't want you to be bored at the grocery when you're supposed to be having fun." 

Nan told Louis earlier that morning she needed to go to the store to pick up some stuff. Louis was adamant on going with her, but she just reached up and patted his cheek before grabbing her purse and heading out the door. 

"I'll see you later, love you," Nan said, smiling.

"Love you too!" Louis shouted from the doorway. 

He watched Nan crawl into her small car and back out of the driveway. He knew it would be at least a couple hours before she got back since the grocery store was in town. 

As Nan's car disappeared down the road, Louis shut the door and plopped on to the couch wondering what he'd do that day. All of a sudden there was a violent knock on the glass door leading to the back porch. Louis jumped from surprise only to see Niall standing on his porch waving at the boy. 

"Niall what're you doing here?" he asked, opening the sliding door. 

"I came to see if you wanted to hang out today. Maybe go into town later and grab some food or something?" 

"Yeah that sounds good."

Some time passed while they both stood there awkwardly. 

"Uh, do you wanna come in?" Louis finally asked.

"Sure!" 

Niall stepped inside and stood in the kitchen, looking around at the rest of the house. 

"So... what's up?" Louis felt himself getting nervous. He'd never hung out with Niall outside the group. The only one he'd ever been alone with was Harry. 

Niall let out a small laugh. "Nothin'. I just wanted us to hang out and get to know each other. I don't want that Harry corrupting your brain or anything." 

Louis laughed. "Don't worry, Harry's not corrupting me. Do you wanna go upstairs?"

Niall nodded and the both of them headed up the stairs into Louis' room. It only took someone else being there for Louis to realize how childish his room looked. He noticed Niall eyeing the stuffed bear on the dresser, the old trading cards in the closet, the blue detailing on the wallpaper. 

"Um... I haven't stayed in this room since I was a kid... Just felt like I had to put that out there." 

Niall shook his head. "Don't worry, it's... cute?" They both laughed and took a seat on the bed. 

They talked and brought snacks up to Louis' room. They got on the topic of school and friends. 

"Liam, Zayn, and Harry are pretty much the only people I hang out with outside of school. Everyone else is just so fuckin' fake, you know? You got good friends in your hometown?" 

"Yeah I've pretty much just had the same friends since I was little."

"If I remember correctly you said you've got a girlfriend, what's she like?"

"Eleanor? She's great. We've been best friends since.. I can't even remember when."

Niall squinted his eyes. "I feel like there's a "but" coming on."

Louis looked at him. His eyes widened. No one else had ever been able to pick up on Louis' distaste with the relationship. 

"No! Well... I mean if I'm being honest, that's kind of all she is to me- my best friend..."

"How long have you guys been dating?"

"A long time. It was nice at first, but after a while I just realized I don't like her like that."

A few seconds of silence passed before Louis turned abruptly to face Niall. 

"But I still want her to be my best friend. Is that weird?"

Niall chuckled and put his hand on Louis' shoulder. "Look, you're only in high school. If you don't think you should break up, you don't have to. But if you do, just do it." 

"Thanks. I didn't think today would consist of relationship counseling from Dr. Horan."

"Dr. Horan at your service," Niall said, bowing his head. 

Niall reached into his pocket and checked the time on his phone. "Shit!" he exclaimed, jumping up from the bed. 

"What's wrong?" Louis asked. 

"The boys are waiting at Liam's house. I guess we lost track of time."

"Wait why are they at Liam's?"

"Liam's the only one with a car."

_

"Now look who's late this time," Liam mocked, grinning and crossing his arms.

Niall rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah whatever. You boys ready to hit the town?"

Everyone whooped and cheered, getting into the car. It was Liam and Zayn in the front and Niall, Louis, and Harry is the back. 

"So where do you lads wanna go tonight?" Zayn asked from the passengers seat.

I was thinking we'd just get some food, maybe see if there are any parties tonight? What do you guys think?" Niall asked, looking over at Louis and Harry. 

"I'm fine with whatever," Louis said.

Harry shrugged. "I don't really like parties." 

"What're you talking about?? We've been to plenty of parties!" 

"Doesn't mean I like 'em," Harry smirked at Niall. 

Niall places his hand on his chest and gasped, like he was offended. Louis chuckled from his seat in the middle of the two boys.

"How's about we get some McDonald's and go from there?" Liam suggested, already backing out of his driveway. All the boys agreed and made their way into town. 

_

While driving to the McDonald's, Louis looked out the windows of the car. He hadn't seen the small town since he was little. It pretty much looked the same as he remembered, just a few new stores and restaurants here and there. 

The boys had just started eating their food when Zayn said something. 

"Guys, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to bring this... but I have something..." He started rummaging through his jacket pocket and pulled out a baggie with a green substance in it.

"Zayn, is that-" Liam started to ask before being cut off by Niall clapping. 

"Alright that's what I'm talkin about!" He snatched the baggie and examined it. "Where did you get this??"

"I got it from my neighbor who graduated last year. Now give it back." Zayn took the baggie and put it back in his pocket.

"Zayn that stuff's illegal! Oh my god," Harry gasped, putting his hand over his mouth before leaning over the table and scream-whispering, "We are hiding contraband in a McDonald's!"

While Harry muttered under his breath stuff about not getting into university and wondering what his mum would think, Liam put his hands up to reassure the group. "It's okay as long as we don't get caught. We just have to be responsible, you guys."

Harry's mouth gaped as he looked at Liam, Niall, and Zayn who were all in agreeance. He looked at Louis. "Are you okay with this??"

Louis shrugged. He'd done weed before and he didn't really care for it, but he'd be down to do it again. "It's not that bad, we'll be fine."

"Wait you've smoked before?" Zayn asked.

"Yeah just a couple times, it's really nothing."

Niall shook his head pretending to be disappointed. "Them Doncaster kids, I tell 'ya."

The group finished their food, very suspiciously threw their trash away and hopped in the car and drive to a park. It was getting dark out, so they figured no one would be there. 

They found a secluded area and sat on the grass. Zayn handed the bag to Louis. 

"Why are you giving this to me?"

"You're the only one who's done it before. You can do the honors."

Louis sighed and got it ready for the boys to smoke. When it was done, Louis took the first hit and passed it along. Niall sat beside Louis and eagerly inhaled the substance, causing an intense coughing fit. Everyone chuckled before Niall passed it along. 

When it came to be Harry's turn he shook his head. 

"C'mon Harry, a couple puffs won't hurt," Niall teased. 

"If he doesn't want to, he doesn't have to," Liam said, patting Harry's shoulder. 

Louis looked at Harry and guessed he was offended at how Liam babied him because the next he knew, Harry was taking a long drag from the joint. Louis' eyes widened as Harry started to cough and the other boys cheered him on. 

"You okay?" Louis asked, laughing.

Harry nodded and smiled. He was definitely loosening up. 

Suddenly everyone stopped laughing when a sound erupted from the bushes. 

"What's that?" Niall asked.

Liam shushed him while the boys kept listening. The rustling sound kept going on until a bright light blinded the group. It was a flashlight. When Louis' eyes adjusted, he could see a figure in the bushes. 

"Hey! What're you boys doing here?!" The voice belonged to a police officer. 

The boys looked at each other before somebody said "Run!" and everyone booked it for Liam's car. Louis could hear the police officer behind them telling them to stop, but they ignored him and kept running. Louis looked at the boys all smiling and laughing with their adrenaline pumping, causing him to laugh out loud too. They made it to Liam's car and everyone piled in, catching their breath. Louis looked out the back window and saw the police officer getting closer to the car. 

"I can see him!" 

Niall shook the back of Liam's seat. "Floor it, Payno!!"

As Liam sped away from the park, the car was silent with everyone gathering themselves. Harry was the first to speak. 

"What the hell just happened??" 

The boys looked at each other and burst into laughter.


End file.
